1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a towable apparatus on wheels for the sweeping of surfaces such as pavement and lawns; handling and transporting of materials such as waste, construction and landscaping components, earth, and the such; and the generation of electricity to supply electrically based power and landscaping tools such as saws, blowers, mowers, trimmers, drills, and the such. The apparatus includes a dust suppression system for use when sweeping; may be towed by a variety of vehicles such as gasoline powered trucks and cars, golf carts, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs); and is adapted for use in small or confined areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Maintenance workers responsible for maintaining the landscape or parking lots of homes with very large yards, churches, business parks, schools, city governments and other small to medium size facilities have a need for a multipurpose apparatus to transport tools, equipment, waste, trash, soil, fertilizers, construction materials, and such; sweep pathways, sidewalks, lawns, and parking lots of debris; and provide a source of electrical power in remote locations. These needs must be satisfied while keeping the apparatus small enough so that it may be easily maneuvered, lightweight so that it may be towed by maintenance carts or ATVs, and sufficiently silent so that it may be used about schools and business complexes without disturbing individuals. Currently a variety of specialized apparatus exists.
One such apparatus is the street sweeper as disclosed in multiple US patents. These vehicles typically have four wheels and carries a main broom of cylindrical configuration which is located under the vehicle's carriage. The main broom extends across the width of the vehicle, and is powered so that it rotates to lift any debris present on the pavement being swept into the vehicle itself for disposal in an appropriate location at some subsequent time. The typical street sweeping vehicle also includes a pair of side brooms, known in the trade as gutter brooms, which are designed to gather material from the sides of the vehicle and propel it inwardly so that it comes under the control of the main broom and is lifted into the vehicle and disposed of. Although a street sweeper may cover large areas of pavement such as the parking lots of schools and business parks in a short amount of time they are expensive to purchase and maintain. In addition street sweepers are not designed to sweep sidewalks and paved pathways. The street sweeper is too specialize of an apparatus for maintenance workers to take with them to a job site. Maintenance workers are also in need of an apparatus that may store equipment or materials for easy transport or disposal.
A number of specialized apparatuses for the easy transport of equipment or materials are disclosed as patents or in other publications. US Patent Publication 2005/0253445 titled “Self Propelled Trailer” discloses an embodiment of a towable trailer that may satisfy the aforementioned needs of maintenance workers. The Self Propelled Trailer contains a hopper with closed sides and a tailgate that may be used to store the materials that are to be transported or disposed of. The hopper is also mounted on a lift mechanism so that one end of the hopper may be raised into such a position so that any material contained within may, by simple gravitational forces, slide out of the hopper onto the ground. The Self Propelled Trailer, being also towable, may be easily transported from one job site to another and once at a job site the Self Propelled Trailer makes use of a small motor, gas or electrical, to allow a maintenance worker to maneuver the trailer to a position that may not otherwise be accessible to the vehicle towing the trailer. The motor also functions for tilting the hopper to such a height so that materials within the hopper may easily fall onto the ground. The use of a motor powered by a battery would make the Self Propelled Trailer “green” in that noise and air pollution are reduced or eliminated when maneuvering the trailer Although the Self Propelled Trailer facilitates the transport of landscape equipment, power tools, and materials within a job site it does not have the ability to sweep lawns, paved pathways, or parking lots of unwanted debris. The addition of a motor for maneuvering purposes does provide a benefit in that the Self Propelled Trailer may be moved from one location to another within a job site. However the size of the motor and the design of the steering mechanism makes this movement a slow and deliberate process thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the maintenance workers as they are not able to react to maintenance opportunities that present themselves about the job site. Furthermore the motor is dedicated to the operations of the Self Propelled Trailer requiring maintenance workers to carry with them a bulky and expensive power generator when operating electrically based power equipment. Finally the hopper, when disposing of any materials contained therein, may only dispose of the material on the ground requiring the maintenance worker to then lift the material into a dumpster. The Self Propelled Trailer is too specialize of an apparatus for maintenance workers to take with them to a job site.
Maintenance workers are in need of a versatile apparatus that may be towed from job site to job site by a vehicle and within a job site by a maintenance cart or ATV. The apparatus must be able to act as a mobile sweeper to clean smaller parking lots found at schools and parks as well as sweeping pathways, lawns, and sidewalks to remove litter, debris, and plant waste. The apparatus must have a hopper to collect material both swept by the broom from the area below the apparatus as well as allowing material to be deposited into the hopper by maintenance workers from above the apparatus. The hopper must be designed so as to allow any material contained within the hopper to be deposited onto the ground or into a dumpster. Finally the apparatus must be designed so that the power source used to operate the broom and the hopper lift mechanism may be concurrently used by maintenance workers to supply electrical energy needed to operate any electrically based power tools.
Known apparatuses do not meet all of the aforementioned needs required by maintenance workers whose responsibilities include the care and maintenance of parking lots, sidewalks, pathways, lawns, and other related landscaping needs at city parks, schools, business parks, golf courses and ranges, and office complexes.